Safety razor



June 21-, 1938.. Y J. w. ANDERSON 2, 0

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Jan. 27, 1932 Patented June 21, 1938 UNITED. STATESPATENT OFFICE SAFETY RAZOR John W. Anderson, Gary, Ind. ApplicationJanuary 27, 1932, Serial No. 589,143

This invention relates to razors, and particu-' larly to the typecommonly known as safety razors, wherein theblade holder is usuallyprovided with a guard adjacent the cutting edge 5 of the blade, and witha handle positioned substantially at right angles to the holder. Presentpractice in the art is to provide a blade holder substantially fixed orrigid with relation to the handle or supporting member. Under suchcircumstances, the user must endeavor manually to .vary the position ofthe blade to.

- or contour of the body, without effort or attention from the user, sothat a smoother and more uniform and comfortable shave is obtained withfewer strokes and in less time.

One object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a deviceof the character described wherein the blade holder is pivotally mountedwith respect to the handle or supporting member in a manner to permitthe holder to assume various angular positions with respect to thehandle at opposite sides thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure wherein the,pivotally mounted blade holder is frictionally related to its supportingmember, and wherein the frictional relationship I is such as to permitthe holder to readily adjust 'or align itself longitudinally of itslength with I respect to the body of a user when brought into contacttherewith, regardless of the position of o the handle or supportingmember.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure wherein thepivotally mounted blade holder may be releasably maintained inrelatively fixed position with respect to its support- 45 ing member orhandle.

A furtherobiect of the invention is to provide improve devices of thecharacter described in sundry details hereinafter referred to and par-55 ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

' 4 Claima. (01.30-87) One embodiment of the present invention is shownfor illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 isa side elevatlonal 'viewfof a safety razor embodying features of thepresent invention, and showing the blade holder positioned substantiallytransversely to the longitudinal line of its supporting member orhandle; I

Fig. 2 is a side-view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, andshowing the blade holder positioned in substantially parallelrelationship with re- I spect tothe supporting member or handle;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the device showing the blade holder positionedsubstantially transversely to the line of the supporting member orhandle as shown in Fig. l, and illustrating, by

dotted lines. two of the numerous angular positions which the bladeholder may assume with respect to its supporting member at oppositesides thereof; I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view partly in section of the deviceillustrating my improved means for releasably maintaining the bladeholder in relatively fixed position with respect to its supportingmember, the line on which the sectional portion of Fig. 4 is taken beingindicated by the line l4 of Fig. 2; and I Fig. 5 is an enlargedfragmentary sectional view through the pivotal connection between theblade holder and its supporting member, and illustrating the manner ofpositioning a spring washer to provide the desired frictionalrelationship between the blade holder and the supporting member.

The present invention is shown for illustrative purposes in conjunctionwith a safety razor having a handle indicated as a whole by the numeral6, and comprising a hand grip or body portion I and a supporting member8 carried thereby, and shown, in the present instance, as formedintegral therewith, the portion 1- being shown, in the present instance,as covered by a casing member 9 as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

Pivotally mounted on the outer end of the supporting member 8 in amanner to occupy various angular positions with respect thereto and atopposite sides thereof is a blade holder ll having a spring clip llassociated therewith for frictio'nally securing a blade l2 in desiredposition on the holder, a plurality of guard fingers l3 beingprovidedadjacent the cutting edge of the blade toact as guides and a protectingguard as is common practice in razors of the y typ I For pivotailysecuring the blade holder ill on the supporting member 8, the member 8is provided with a threadedreces ll (Fig. adapted to receive thethreaded shank portion I! of a bolt, the head it of which is adapted tofit into in the blade holder concentric with the counterbore I1, andinto engagement with the adjacent face of the-supporting member 8 toprevent binding between theblade holder and supporting member when thebolt is screwed down.

For providing a frictional engagement between adjacent faces of theblade holder l0 and supporting member 8, a yielding member shown, in

the present instance, as a spring washer i8 is positioned between theinner face of the head 18 and the bottom of the counter-bore I! asclearly shown in Fig. 5, thereby providing adegree of frictionalrelationship between the holder l0 and member -8 of such a character asto pre-' vent a loose uncontrolled flopping of the blade holder aboutits pivot, and at the same time, provide a frictional contact which willpermit the blade holder to readily adjust or align itself longitudinallyof its length with respect to the body of a user when brought intocontact therewith, regardless of the position of the hand grip portion 1and supporting member 8 with reference to the blade holder.

It will be observed from the foregoing description and by reference toFigs. 3 and 5 that the blade holder I0 may be readily moved about itspivotal connection with the supporting member 8 in a manner to occupyvarious angular positions with respect to the supporting member and atopposite sides thereof as clearly shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

For releasably securing the blade holder iii in relatively fixedposition with respect to its supporting member 8 and the hand gripportion I, the member 8 is provided with resilient means shown, inthepresent instance, as a spring finger 20 (Fig. 4), having one of its endportions rigidly secured in the supporting member 8 adjacent one sidethereof, and extending outwardly through a counter-bore 2| to beyond theopposite side of the member 8 in a manner to enter an aperture or recess22 formed in the holder Ill preferably adjacent one end thereof when theholder is moved to a position in substantially parallel relationshipwith respect to the supporting member 8, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

The spring pin 20 normally occupies a straight line position as shown inFig. 3, and the aperture 22 is so positioned in the blade holder ID thatwhen the blade holder approaches the position shown in Fig. 4, one edgeof the aperture H will engage the rounded free end of the pin 20 andforce it laterally, in thepresent instance, toward the pivotalconnection, thereby causing the pin to slip into the aperture, in whichposition, by reason of .its resiliency, the pin will bind onv one sideof the aperture, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. If desired, the aperture 22may be tapered slightly to serve as a latch to more positively resistwithdrawal of the pin .20 from the aperture.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the type of razor inconnection with which the present invention is disclosed, is adaptedto'contain a plurality of extra blades-mounted in its body portion 1,and having an ejector slide 23 provided with a grip portion 24 adaptedto move the uppermost blade into the blade holder in the manner shown inFig. 4, and that by moving the blade holder into engagement with a stopportion 25 formed on the supporting member 8, the blade holder will bereleasably secured in relatively fixed position by the spring pin 2|),and retained in proper alignment with the ejector slide 23 in a mannerto receive the new blade being moved from the body portion 1 of therazor into operative position in the blade holder, the entering of thenew blade into the holder serving to eject the old blade therefrom.

In the types of magazine razors such as shown in Fig. 4, some difllcultyhas been experienced in maintaining the blade holder in fixed registrywith the incoming blade when a new blade is to be inserted. The lockingdevice here shown secures the respective parts in registry andpreventsjamming of the blades and injury thereto as they are beinginserted in the blade holder.

'It also holds the parts in alignment for convenience in storing orpacking when the razor is not in use.

It will be observed from the foregoingldescrip tion that the presentinvention also provides resilient means for releasably maintaining theblade holder in relatively fixed position with respect to its supportingmember, preferably in substantially parallel. relationship with respectthereto, an arrangement most desirable for releasably maintaining thebladelholder in inoperative position when not in use, and when thepresent invention isemployed in conjunction with the particular type ofrazor shown, the securing means serves to yieldingly maintain the bladeholder in proper alignment with the ejector slide for receiving a newblade being ejected from the supply of blades contained in the hand gripportion of the razor.

Obviously, the present invention is not limited tothe preciseconstruction and arrangement shown and described, as the same may bevariously modified. Moreover, all the featuresof the invention need notbe used coniointly, as the same may be used to advantage in variouslydifferent combinations and sub-combinations.

What I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

1.- In a safety razor, the .combination with a handle having asupporting member carried thereby, of a; blade holder having an apertureof, a spring washer adjacent the pivotal connection between said holderand supporting member for producing a frictional relationship betweenthe holder and member, said frictional relationship being such as topermit said blade holder to readily adjust itself longitudinally withrespect to the body of a user when brought into contact therewith, aspring finger mounted on the side of said supporting member andengageable with said aperture in a manner to contact a side thereof forreleasably maintaining the holderin substantially parallel relativelyfixed position with respect to said supporting member at one sidethereof.

2. A safety razor, a handle, a blade carrying holder carried by andreadily movable with respect to said handle about a-pivot extendingtransversely to the longitudinal center line of said handle to readilyalign itself longitudinally with the body of the user when brought intoauaooo contact therewith to provide a uniform distribution of pressurethroughout the entire cutting edge of the blade upon said body.

ahandle, a blade cur-yin:

readily movable with reabout a pivot extendine 3. A safety'ra'zor,holder-carried by and spect to said handle transversely to thelongitudinal center, lines of said handle and holder. to readily alignitself longitudinally with the body 01 a user when brought'into contacttherewith to provide a, uniform distributionof' pressure the en- 7 tirecutting edge of. the blade upon said body.

.holder carried by and readily .spect to said handle about "a-pivotextending said handle and holder,

, a blade carrying movable with re- LAssi'etyrazonahan to thelongitudinal center lines of said holder being freely movable in adirection substantially parallel to the center line of the handle toreadily align itself longitudinally with the body of a user when broughtinto contact therewith to provide a uniform distribution of pressurethroughout the entire cutting edge of the blade upon said body.

" JOHN W. ANDERSON.-

transversely

